Saturday, March 12, 2011

I know it's early, but I wanted to get this out before I leave for the airport. I am truly touched and honored to be a part of my online community right now. Harnessing the power of Weddingbee, blogger and Twitter friends, in the past 2 days we have managed to raise over $4,000 for our dear friend Layla.

We live in an odd time, I guess. But I feel closer to many of my online friends than I do my 'real life' friends. Chatting online constantly, getting several-times-a-week updates and insights into their lives through their blogs--it really is an amazing way to connect with people. And I consider Layla to be one of my friends, who I am so happy to help. She has been through so much, and is being royally screwed over by her insurance company. Nobody should have to go through the pain and suffering she has over the past 6 months because of insurance red tape, but hopefully together we will find a way to still get her the surgery she needs.

Please, read her story below, go listen to her touching vlog, and help out if you can. We're going to be doing an online bake sale soon too, so be sure to check out this website for details. There's still a lot to do, to help out with her additional medical costs. Lets get Layla well, and help spread awareness about her situation! Together, I really think we can do anything!

Layla's Story:

One month after her 30th birthday, Layla was diagnosed with early stage cervical cancer (1A Adenocarcinoma). She was extraordinarily lucky that it was caught early, and had a simple surgery to remove the cancerous cells.

Layla on her wedding day

Three years later, Layla was in horrible pain that affected nearly every aspect of her life. Temporarily uninsured due to a job change, she paid out of pocket last October to go to the doctor and make sure the cancer had not returned. Thankfully, it had not. However, her doctor believes that she has pelvic adhesions and Endometriosis due to the previous surgery, but it can’t be diagnosed until an additional surgery (laparoscopy) is performed. The doctor also found out Layla has cervical stenosis, which basically means her cervix has completely shut down due to the scar tissue from the previous surgery. These issues make her miserable most of the time, making simple things like going to the bathroom and menstruation horribly painful, and sexual intercourse impossible. He stated that if she wanted to have children one day, even sperm could not pass through her cervix, and she would have to have intrauterine insemination.

The doctor wanted to schedule surgery as soon as the insurance at her new job went into effect. Her company fired her the day her insurance became valid, ten days before Christmas, plainly stating that it was because of her health issues.

Fortunately, she got on her husband’s insurance, which went into effect February 1st. As soon as she could, Layla scheduled surgery for March 22nd. Then her insurance company dropped a bomb: because she went to the doctor (even as a self-pay patient) within a three month period prior to her enrollment date, they were considering her health issues to be a pre-existing condition, and would not insure any doctor visits, medication, or surgery for 388 days.

When you are in near constant pain and can’t work, 388 days is a long time to wait. The sooner Layla can have this surgery, the sooner she can return to work (hopefully with a nicer company!) and start living her life again. Her doctor has been nice enough to work out a deal with her if she can pay as a cash patient: he decreased the amount of her surgery to $4,000, and the cost of the anesthesia to $500, with additional fees for biopsies of removed tissue to be determined.

The problem is, Layla is unemployed due to this, has used her savings to pay for living expenses and medical bills, and has been denied loans for the surgery because of her unemployment status. She does not have close family, so she can’t ask them for help. Surgery is scheduled for March 22nd, and Layla and her husband are still trying to secure a loan through several banks.

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Any amount that you can give to Operation Layla is absolutely enough – thank you for helping out! Donations are made through PayPal, so they are completely secure. All proceeds go straight to Layla for her medical bills, and will not be used for anything else.

Oh my goodness - I saw Mrs. Penguin's post about this, but didn't know much about the back story. And I'm sure this is the last thing on her mind right now, but it's illegal for an employer to fire an employee for a disability, which Layla's "health issues" would clearly qualify as based on what I've read here. Thank you for posting this!

I've read her story on several other blogs over the past couple days, and it breaks my heart. I agree with Kim's comment that what her employer did was illegal, and I believe insurance companies should also not be able to deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions. I grew up without health insurance, and my parents still don't have it. I am terrified each day that they will end up in a situation just like Layla.

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Welcome

I have a deep love for shoes, anything with garlic on it, and all things DIY. Just a West Coast 30-something adjusting to life in the South with my husband and 3 kitties. To pay the bills I'm a marketing communications professional, but my true love is crafting and working on decor projects. And now that we are homeowners, I love taking on bigger renovation projects side-by-side with my husband, as we strive to make our new house a home.